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July 08, 2025
 

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TOEFL

JAPAN
Jun 13, 2018
Private-sector test results to account for 20% of national university English entrance exam scores
The Japan Association of National Universities (JANU) has adopted its new English proficiency benchmarks for entry into state-run universities, which now measure English speaking and writing skills, giving high school students a better grasp of the language before entering college.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2018
Foreign Minister Taro Kono urges his newest diplomats to hone their English
Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Monday extended a warm welcome to the ministry's newest recruits, and asked the young diplomats to continue improving their English and other essential skills needed to connect Japan with the rest of the world.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Nov 6, 2017
Let's discuss entrance exam reforms
Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2017
Education ministry panel approves private-sector English testing for university entrance
In a move sure to shake up the nation's English examination system for college enrollment, an education ministry panel has approved a plan featuring a complete shift to proficiency testing by private firms.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 5, 2017
Spoken English tests among entrance exam reforms Japan's students will face in 2020
Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2014
Australia accepts Eiken certificate as proof of English ability
Holders of an Eiken English language certificate can now apply for admission to hundreds of high schools across Australia.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 27, 2014
Osaka bets big on TOEFL to boost English levels
The Osaka Prefecture Board of Education is pushing through a raft of initiatives to shake up English-language education, chief among them the introduction of TOEFL at top-performing high schools, which will be taught by an elite group of teachers earning approximately ¥8 million a year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2014
Design tests to measure priority outcomes
The discovery of fraud in the adminstration of the high-stakes TOEFL and TOEIC tests is disturbing, but the larger issue — which has been given short shrift — is that these tests are designed to emphasize written English rather than spoken English.
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2014
Test problems here and abroad
Recent news that two of the most popular English-language proficiency tests in Japan, TOEIC and TOEFL, can no longer be accepted for obtaining visas to Britain may have come as a shock to students, parents and test administrators.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2014
TOEIC, TOEFL axed as route to U.K. visa
Two of the most popular English-language proficiency tests in Japan can no longer be used to obtain student visas to Britain due to fraud in the test-taking process.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2013
Firm floats alternative to TOEFL
While Japan looks to make a passing score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language mandatory for university entrance, it should also consider alternative exams that might work better, said John de Jong, senior vice president at Pearson English, a division of Pearson PLC.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 5, 2013
Media weighs in on LDP's English education plan
The Liberal Democratic Party has a thing for archery. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's financial policies comprise "three arrows." The symbolism is based on the old Japanese saying, "Three arrows are harder to break." Since "Abenomics" has proven to be a PR success, at least with the electorate, he's using...
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2013
LDP panel binds TOEFL to degrees
The Test of English as a Foreign Language will be needed to enter public universities and graduate from them if the LDP's educational reforms are formalized.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2013
To communicate in English, TOEFL is vital: LDP panel
English-language education at public schools should shift in emphasis to verbal communications skills, and for that purpose, universities must adopt the Test of English as a Foreign Language for entrance exams, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party's education reform panel said.
EDITORIALS
Mar 31, 2013
Testing English versus teaching it
The proposal that all students take TOEFL to enter university shows that the LDP sees the need for better English in Japan but is missing the answer.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2013
LDP takes aim at English education, seeks to boost TOEFL levels
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is on a quest to reform the educational system in order to foster global talent to reverse the nation’s declining competitiveness on the world stage, and English-language studies have been especially targeted for improvement.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2013
Higher English test hurdle awaits ministry applicants from fiscal '15
Would-be bureaucrats may soon have to take an English-language proficiency test before getting a shot at a ministry job.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.

Podcast

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